Well, it has been quite some time since I have updated the blog. My fault only, it's been a very rough end to 2011, managing school, work, and single parenthood. But here I am. Today's topic is routine maintenance.Maintenance on your computer is essential. A desktop computer can last an easy 5 years for the average user without any issues provided it is maintained properly. Maintenance comes in my forms. There is physical, operating system, and software.Physical maintenance is relatively easy (Most of this only applies to desktop PCs. I would not recommend attempting to open a laptop case.) For the most part it involves blowing the dust out of the case and the debris out of the keyboard. This requires a can of compressed air you can get at most of the larger retail stores and all computer stores. Using a hair dryer is highly dangerous as they produce large amounts of static that could very easily destroy your mother board through static discharge. Air compressors are not recommended as they often have water in the tank unless properly maintained. You may need to take the computer outside to blow it out as in some cases there is a large amount of dust inside. Whichever you do, the first thing to do is UNPLUG the power cord, this is essential. Unplugging the power cord helps make sure that you don't burn out any components or that the computer doesn't inadvertently start during the cleaning. Next, take off the side panel. Most computers have a side panel on the left (if you are facing the front of the PC) that comes off easily. Modern cases don't require tools most of the time, so this should be a fairly easy task. Once the side panel is off, the rest is easy. Simply use the compressed air to blow into the case, keeping the can a good six inches or more from the actual components (BE SURE TO KEEP THE CAN OF COMPRESSED AIR IN THE UPRIGHT POSITION AS DIRECTED ON THE CAN). I always start with the fans on the case and power supply blowing into the PC from the outside. This allows you to get the dust out later without blowing dust back into an already clean PC. In the case, I always clean from front to back, that way the focus components are the last to be cleaned. Be sure to get all the nooks and crannies, paying special attention to the fins on the heatsinks. Be careful not to impact these fins as you may damage them and negatively affect the cooling of vital parts. DO NOT blow into any drives as dust will damage them, making them inoperable. Also be careful that you do not loosen any cable connections or loosen the seating of any add-in cards you may have. When finished, replace the case side panel and power cord. At this point you should be good to go. You can clean the monitor with a damp cloth, using ONLY water. Do not use any type of cleaning solution unless it is specifically made for LCD screens as common cleaners will damage the monitor screen.Next is Operating System (OS) maintenance. This means making sure your computer runs at top efficiency. We will be talking about the Windows OS at this point as it is what the average user will be operating, for good or for ill. One tool is the Windows Disk Defragmenter. While there is some debate about the effectiveness of this tool, that is not in the scope of this article. To get to the Disk Defragmenter, double-click (DC) the My Computer icon, then right-click (RC) the disk you want to defrag then go down to "Properties". This will bring up another window with 7 tabs on it. Click on the Tools tab and then the "Defragment now" button in the middle. This will bring up yet another window that will list the drives that can be defragmented. Highlight the correct disk and click "Defragment disk". The Defragment tool will then proceed to analyze and defragment the drive. You may close any windows at the end of the defragmentation cycle. Note: this operation can take some time depending on the size of the drive being defragged. The next tool is disk cleanup. Double-click (DC) the My Computer icon, then right-click (RC) the disk you want to clean up then go down to "Properties". This will bring up another window with 7 tabs on it. On the General tab, click the "Disk Cleanup" button. Another window will pop up that will calculate how much space can be recovered. When it is done, another Window will appear that will show you different categories that can be cleaned and how much space you will recover. When you highlight a specific category, the description field in the bottom of the window will give more details as to what is included.

Select each category you desire to clean by placing a check into the box beside it. Then click "OK". Then Windows will clear out those categories, freeing up disk space. Once completed, you may exit out of any open windows. Next is the Error-checking. This is also called scandisk and checkdisk. Double-click (DC) the My Computer icon, then right-click (RC) the disk you want to error check then go down to "Properties". This will bring up another window with 7 tabs on it. On the Tools tab, click the "Check now" button. Click into both check boxes and then click start. You will receive the following warning:

Click on "Schedule disk check" to continue and you will be informed that windows will conduct the check when the computer is restarted. When you restart the computer the scan will be conducted and then the computer will continue to boot as normal. The last thing to do is to run a manual virus scan at least once a week for the average user. Light users may be able to get away with once a month. If you do not have an antivirus, there are many free options available. Avast is my antivirus of choice. Software maintenance is relatively straightforward. First, make sure you delete all programs using the Add/Remove Programs feature (WinXP and older) or Programs and Feature (Win7). This helps make sure that registry entries are removed as well, even though it doesn't work that well. (A freeware tool called RevoUninstaller works much better in this regard for 32-bit systems, or IObit Uninstaller for 64-bit systems.) As a preventative, make sure you pay attention to the install process when installing programs and don't always use the standard install. Many programs today install toolbars and other software that you may not want or never need and it just ends up cluttering your system. Worse, some of these programs install malware or spyware. Also, if your program has the function, be sure to have it checks for updates occasionally. If it doesn't have that function built in, it may be worth the effort to periodically check on the page where you downloaded it for updates. These updates can patch security flaws and fixes bugs, essential processes for keeping a healthy system. So, that is the basic rundown on how to maintain a computer. There are some more advanced actions that can be taken, but for the average user, this tutorial will keep you running well for quite some time, barring any unforeseen hardware failures. If you have any questions or comments, please leave them below.

Started out this morning booting up both my laptop and my desktop. Well, not really. See my desktop stays on pretty much 24/7. Why? I don't have a good answer. It all boils down to the fact that I want my internet access to be immediate. I am one of those people who runs straight to the computer when the mood strikes to research something, and I have to do it NOW. Just my nature. My laptop is great, but since I use it for class as well as research and personal use, I am always having to take it out of the carry bag, plug in the AC adapter, and boot it up. The desktop is already purring and ready. This leads me to today's topic, and a question I get asked frequently. Which one should a user purchase? Fortunately I have an answer, and it is easier than you might think.Unfortunately there is a misconception about computer needs: the more powerful the better and it has to be a laptop To a certain point that is true, you want a machine powerful enough to handle your needs. And therein lies the rub. What exactly are your needs? Many people cannot really answer that question because they honestly don't know. It is always a surprise that even in today's high-tech culture people do not really understand their computer and what it can do, or what it means to them. Most consumers who ask me what to buy end up giving me the same answer to my question of "What do you need it to do?", and that is: get on the internet, get on Facebook, watch YouTube videos, use MS Office, play music/video, and view pictures. Notice that they don't really answer my question in terms of desktop vs. laptop. That's because again, most consumers really don't understand what they might need the mobility for, they are just glamored by the idea of a laptop and envision what they might do with it. There a few considerations you must think about when deciding on which form factor to buy. The first is security. Yeah, you heard me right, security. It's very simple: If you are going to put confidential or financial information on your computer then recommend you get a desktop. Why you ask? Because a laptop can walk off much quicker then your desktop. Even if you think you are never going to take your computer out of the house, there are dozens of instances where someones laptop was taken from their house by a visitor, or service technician, or friend of the kids. Sad, but true. The second consideration is: What do you want the mobility for? If you can't easily answer this question, then get the desktop. If you have a quick answer, something you have already thought about, even if it is just so you can play on the computer while watching TV then by all means, get the laptop. Third consideration. Do you want to have to buy a new computer every few years or would you rather upgrade? This one is not so simple because of cost. Yes, laptops are expensive. But if you don't know how to perform upgrades, or don't have a friend who can help, or cannot use the internet to find a tutorial, then it can get more cost-prohibitive. I said cost-prohibitive rather than expensive because it isn't really expensive, it's just that once you factor on the labor and parts and compare to the cost of a new computer, sometimes it makes more sense to replace the whole computer. However, with laptops you can only upgrade the RAM, so pretty much you will have to replace it rather than upgrade. Additionally, laptops are more prone to getting damaged than desktops.

_ All-in-all it's pretty simple if you think about it, but in our instant gratification and keeping-up-with-the-joneses mindset about technology, sometimes we need a little guidance.

Well, it's day two. Not sure if even a single person has read this blog yet, but I am trying to engage in some creative advertising and marketing for the site and the business so hopefully it won't be too long before I start getting some return comments. On Monday, May 30, there is a flyer in the Pioneer News in Mt Washington Ky. Hopefully that will generate more interest and more sales. Today's topic is Linux. If you don't know what Linux is, I suggest you go here What is Linux? (the link will open in a new page, so you don't lose your place here). If you already know what it is - and I mean really know not just think you do - then you might want to know more about distributions of Linux. There are hundreds of different Linux operating systems (OS), and they can be quite different. The one thing they have in common is that they are all Open Source. Open Source software is software which has it's programming code available for everyone to see, utilize, and change as they see fit. This is not to be confused with Freeware, which , while free of charge, often still comes with restrictive licenses, copyrights, and trademarks. So in Linux you will see some distributions that are based on other distributions but with customized changes. For example, Ubuntu is based on Debian and Mint is based on Ubuntu. All three of these distributions are free of charge, as well as Open Source. Now, for those who aren't familiar with me, I love Linux. Absolutely, positively love it. I would rather get one of these fine OS for free, rather than pay exorbitant prices for other commercial OS, especially considering that even after paying those licensing fees, I still suffer the whims of the developers of those OS. After all, it's really like we are renting the OS rather than purchasing it. And technically speaking, the only thing we actually purchase is the disk itself, not the OS on it. Don't get me wrong however, I love Windows as well. Windows focuses on ease of use right out of the box. Install it, and it runs. With newer Windows versions there is even very little searching for drivers for hardware, unless of course you are still sporting that 9-year-old webcam, or that legacy video card. But for the most part, it just runs. Windows 7 really got me back on the Windows train, so to speak. So, back to Linux. These last two weeks I have been having trouble with my laptop hard drive. The disk is failing, generating multiple corrupted sectors and bad clusters. The S.M.A.R.T. diagnostic says that it's been overheated at one point, and this is causing the failure. Now, I could easily replace the drive, but I am not the kind to give up so easily. Additionally, I was running Ubuntu in a dual boot configuration. (A dual-boot is where you have two OS installed on the same computer and can boot into either one at your choice.) I recently found out that Canonical, the company that sponsors Ubuntu, is attempting to copyright some of the material it developed. While it definitely has the right, I wonder at the morality of it, to copyright something that is developed with Open Source beginnings and claims is distasteful to me. With that in mind, I have decided to drop Ubuntu. All this leads up to the fact that I tried about six different distros of Linux this weekend: Mint, MoonOS, Arch, Pardus, Knoppix, and GnewSense. Only Mint, Moon, and Pardus picked up my wireless adapter when using the livecd version. I installed MoonOS, which is surprisingly fast. Then after I booted it in class last night, it started to lock up during boot. Now I am back to square one - but this time I know a drive replacement is a must!

Well, this is the first post of the WD Services blog. I have never written a blog before, but they say that experience is the best teacher, so here we go! First off, we would like to thank you for coming to the site! All visitors are welcome, as are any comments. The site has only been up for a short period of time and we are constantly seeking new ways to maximize the experience for our customers and visitors. While this is obviously a site for our key business, our goal is to make it a reference and resource for the beginner to intermediate user for help, advice, and general computer and technology knowledge. One thing that we are currently looking at is adding a video page where we can showcase various topics, perhaps even with a couple of simple instructional videos. Please drop us any suggestions for something you would like to see!

Author

Arthur Whitehouse - Technician: I am a Microsoft and CompTIA certified professional. I have been in the business since 2000. My main focus is on end-user functionality and providing alternatives to what mainstream users are force fed as the way it "should" be in personal computing.